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@ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
Ferrothorn completely walls tapu fini, draining kiss gives fini damage due to iron barbs and scald does pathetic damage. While it can power whip or knock off its leftovers and cut off its recovery to make it harder for fini. It is a counter if the calcs do not say enough. Misty terrain provides a benefit of giving ferrothorn immunity to scald burn for 5 turns which it needs
0 Atk Ferrothorn Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 116+ Def Tapu Fini: 180-212 (52.3 - 61.6%) -- 96.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Tapu Fini Scald vs. 252 HP / 176+ SpD Ferrothorn: 29-34 (8.2 - 9.6%) -- possibly the worst move ever
Toxapex @ Black Sludge Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 124 Def / 132 SpD
Impish Nature - Haze
- Knock Off
- Recover - Poison Jab
Toxapex as a check to tapu fini, as it resists its stabs and can threaten it back with poison jab even if taunted
Kartana @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword/Synthesis
Kartana is a soft counter and hard check to CM Fini (Yes, you read that right. Kartana counters a special attacker!!). This is because the best CM Fini can do is try to chip it with Scald, which is a 3HKO when unboosted. Hence, Kartana can hard switch into Fini the moment it comes in, force it out and SD on the switch. If Fini decides to stay in, it fears taking a Leaf Blade that's guaranteed to OKHO
0 SpA Tapu Fini Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kartana: 98-116 (37.8 - 44.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
It could run synthesis instead of Sacred Sword to recover off any chip damage incurred onto it by Fini and thus gain more setup opportunities to beat its usual checks like Corviknight. However, Sacred Sword provides valuable coverage against steel types like Heatran and other Pokemon like Hydreigon.
Big Mushroom is a bit underrated in this metagame, sporting great defensive typing and bulk to stave off threats like koko, zera, urshifu, rillaboom, kartana, cm tbolt or cm aroma clef and providing some layer of offensive menace with its status move and deterring setup sweepers from taking advantage of it via foul play and clear smog, which also has the benefit of hitting Dragapult with a nasty suprise. With its typing, Amoonguss is a nightmare to face for CM Fini. Draining Kiss does no damage and provokes Rocky Helmet chip, hurting Fini more than it does Amoonguss. Giga Drain and Clear Smog hit Fini supereffectively and either provide some recovery or erases all boosts Fini can try to get. Even if Amoonguss doesn't deal crazy damage to Fini, Fini can't use Draining Kiss to successfully heal the damage off unless Rocky Helmet is knocked off and Amoonguss can always cancel any boosts bypassing Taunt - unlike Haze Toxapex. At last, Regenerator offsets Amoonguss' lack of reliable recovery (there's Synthesis and if you want you can run it, it's just that I like having a status move)
For these reasons, I submit Amoonguss as a COUNTER to CM Tapu Fini. Sludge Bomb can be run over Clear Smog for the nasty 30% poison chance, but honesly I feel like Clear Smog gives Amoonguss extra utilty against some dangerous mon for fat like the aforementioned CM Clef or this week's Victim CM Fini. If you want to poison Stuff, you can always run Toxic.
Spread is super nice because it lives +2 Knock Off from Kartana after rocks and always OHKOs it with Foul Play + Life Orb recoil + Rocky Helmet chip. 240 HP reaches a Regenerator number (429 : 3 = 143 HP recovered by Regenerator), 4 SpA slightly increase rolls and the rest in SpD
Mew @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 148 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature - Taunt
- Roost
- Spikes / Knock Off
- Night Shade / Seismic Toss / Knock Off
I submit Taunt Mew as a check. It won't be doing much to an already-boosted Fini, but it can prevent it from setting up with Taunt, and from that point on, it won't be taking much damage from Scald or Draining Kiss, so it has multiple options for its next move. Knock Off removing its Leftovers will make Fini easier to handle later on in the game, Spikes can be used to take advantage of Fini's low unboosted damage output and wear down whatever comes in next, while Night Shade / Seismic Toss will reliably wear it down. (Night Shade and Seismic Toss are both included since Seismic Toss' higher PP can make it valuable in a 1v1 situation, but Night Shade's qualities of being non-contact and hitting Ghosts are nice.)
Regardless of the moveset specifics, Taunt and Roost are what enable Mew as a check, as it can prevent Fini from getting dangerously powerful while keeping itself healthy to either lay Spikes or wear it down with Shade/Toss.
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Power Whip
- Rock Slide
Submitting Assault Vest Tangrowth as a Counter. Tangrowth is probably the best defensive Grass type in the current SS OU metagame, and it sees some usage thanks to its ability to check offensive staples like Urhsifu-R, Garchomp, Kartana, Rillaboom, Tapu Bulu, Zeraora… However, a regular physically defensive Tangrowth can’t really deal with Calm Mind Tapu Fini. This is because of its mediocre special bulk and because most of the time it only runs Giga Drain as a Grass type move, which won’t do anything to a +2/+3 Tapu Fini. Knowing that, most Tapu Fini will stay in against Tangrowth, thinking they are safe as Misty Terrain prevents the use of Sleep Powder or Toxic, and will try to overpower Tangrowth by setting up several Calm Mind. This is why this set can shine when you’re facing a Calm Mind Tapu Fini. Thanks to the Assault Vest boost and your Spe Def investment, you can take boosted Draining Kiss like its nothing and retaliate very hard with Power Whip. You can even Knock Off first, removing Tapu Fini Leftovers for the rest of the game or catching a switch in case the opponent wants to scout your set. If the Fini stays in and keep Calm Minding up, fire a powerful Power Whip and Fini won’t be an issue for the rest of the game (Seed Bomb is an option over Power Whip if you’re really afraid to miss). Earthquake and Rock Slide are great coverage options and allow you to catch a switch into Heatran or Volcarona once Tapu Fini realizes it can’t beat you in one vs one. I will drop the calcs at the end, but Rock Slide is able to OHKO offensive Volcarona and against a defensive one you can easily take a hit and kill it with 2 Rock Slide. For Heatran it’s basically the same thing, with Earthquake OHKOing offensive variant after Stealth Rock while defensive variants only deal around 50% to this Tangrowth set with Magma Storm. Rock Slide is also useful to catch Flying types such as Zapdos and Tornadus-T and force them to recover if they want to stay healthy, giving you thus the opportunity to take the momentum back by switching safely into an answer. Ultimately, in matchups where the opponent has a solid answer to all these moves such as Toxapex, Clefable, Corviknight… you can still Knock Off them and remove their items to help your teammates.
This set can seem similar to another suggestion, namely Amoonguss. However, against Tapu Fini in particular, I think that being able to threaten switch-ins like Volcarona and Heatran who may think they are safe because of Fini’s terrain that prevent status is a valuable addition that Amoonguss doesn’t have. On a more general note, this Tangrowth set can not only completely shutdown Calm Mind Tapu Fini, but is also able to beat Whirlpool variant as Power Whip 2HKOes them (even if you’ll end up pretty low in health, but that’s not that much of an issue thanks to Regenerator). You can also deal with almost all Electric types of the tier, and especially Tapu Koko (even the Calm Mind sets), Zeraora, and Magnezone. You can also switch into Choice Band Kartana/Rillaboom/Urshifu-R if needed to scout the move they want to use but a proper check to these threats is still required (something like Dragonite for instance). You’re also able to come into Specs Dragapult, even if it’s not the best switch-in and you’ll take more damage then what you can regenerate from Draco Meteor or Flamethrower.
I’ll leave you with some calcs that illustrate what I said above, thanks for reading if you made it this far.
Against Tapu Fini:
12 Atk Tangrowth Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 192+ Def Tapu Fini: 180-212 (52.3 - 61.6%) -- 96.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+3 0 SpA Tapu Fini Draining Kiss vs. 244 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Tangrowth: 93-111 (23.1 - 27.6%) -- 69% chance to 4HKO
Against Heatran:
Offensive one:
12 Atk Tangrowth Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 276-328 (85.4 - 101.5%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
Defensive one:
12 Atk Tangrowth Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 276-328 (71.5 - 84.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 244 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Tangrowth: 198-234 (49.2 - 58.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after trapping damage
Against Volcarona:
Offensive one:
12 Atk Tangrowth Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Volcarona: 312-368 (100.3 - 118.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Defensive one:
12 Atk Tangrowth Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 156 Def Volcarona: 252-300 (67.5 - 80.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
16 SpA Volcarona Flamethrower vs. 244 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Tangrowth: 186-218 (46.2 - 54.2%) -- 52% chance to 2HKO
Against Tapu Koko:
12 Atk Tangrowth Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 168-198 (59.7 - 70.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 244 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Tangrowth: 76-91 (18.9 - 22.6%) -- possible 5HKO
Against Zeraora:
12 Atk Tangrowth Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zeraora: 184-218 (58 - 68.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Zeraora Close Combat vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Tangrowth: 97-115 (24.1 - 28.6%) -- 98.2% chance to 4HKO
Against Dragapult:
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 244 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Tangrowth: 118-141 (29.3 - 35%) -- 14.6% chance to 3HKO
Zeraora @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Volt Switch / Grass Knot
Zeraora is only 3HKOd by an unboosted Scald and cannot be burned by it since it is grounded in the terrain. Zeraora can then deal 60-70% with Plasma Fists or simply force a switch and pivot out with Volt Switch. Since Tapu Fini can rarely set up without taking a decent amount of damage in the process, Zeraora can almost always revenge kill Tapu Fini in practice.
For last rounds Victim Of The Week 22, which was the winners for counters are Ferrothorn by HydreigonTheChild and Tangrowth by ironwater; and for checks the winners are Toxapex by Shadesan and Galarian Slowking by Tysonslayer. Congratulations. Your Pokes will be archived!
Lets move forward for this rounds Victim Of The Week 23 Weavile @ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Swords Dance - Triple Axel
- Knock Off - Ice Shard
Weavile has been dominating the SSOU Tier, with being a terrifying pokemon in the metagame. Its fantastic Speed tier alongside a great boosting tool in Sowrds Dance and priority in Ice Shard gives it the edge over many pokemon in the metagame currently. Once in the depths of UUBL ist has been thriving the past couple of months to true OU usage. Weavile can handle a lot of pokemon with ease due to Triple Axel and a hard hitting Knock Off, which is able to cripple its checks by removing their items. It also gets pushed over the edge as a terrifying pokemon with its great typing in Dark and Ice. But nor onto the question: What counters and checks are there for Weavile. Lets figure it out. Have fun!
Submission end on next week on Thursday, Good luck everyone!
Buzzwole is a great check to Weavile that forces it out to stop its sweep. That's because Weavile fails to OHKO Buzzwole after a +2 boost, and in return Buzzwole threatens it with Close Combat or Leech Life. Even if Weavile tries to hurt Buzzwole on the switch with Triple Axel, it would suffer almost 50% chip damage if all 3 hits connect, leaving it no choice but to switch out.
252 Atk Weavile Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 152 HP / 0 Def Buzzwole: 144-171 (36.6 - 43.5%) -- approx. 3HKO
+2 252 Atk Weavile Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 152 HP / 0 Def Buzzwole: 279-333 (70.9 - 84.7%) -- approx. 2HKO
tldr : Weavile has no peace when Buzzwole is around
Any other set could work since you are able to check Weavile effectively, despite resisting both of its stab the lack of reliable recovery doesn’t help you be able to switch into it constantly. Choice Scarf set it in particular makes Tapu Fini be faster than weavile and can hurt it hard with Moonblast while also cripple it with Trick losing its Heavy-Duty Boots and makes it vulnerable to hazards and no longer able to set up swords dance. Tapu Fini is still a nuisance for weavile teams as it means suppose Tapu Fini switchins can get crippled for getting Trick while Tapu Fini can still be able to check Weavile.
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Body Press
Skarmory takes insignificant damage from unboosted Weavile, and +2, 3-hit Triple Axel does about 75% max. +2 Knock Off cannot 2HKO. Skarmory can easily OHKO with Body Press in return. In fact, Skarmory can be burned and still cleanly OHKO.
Scizor @ Metal Coat
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Atk / 172 SpD / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Roost
A bulkier Scizor can live +2 Knock Off into +2 Ice Shard from Jolly Weavile and keep good defensive prowess utility vs Tapu Lele. To do the same with Adamant Weavile, Scizor needs almost full HP / Def investment. New Life Orb variants are out of the question.
This variant Scizor, however, exchanges some defensive safety with the ability to always OHKO Weavile with Bullet Punch. +2 Adamant HDB Weavile does 23.3 max with Ice Shard, giving you quite a bit of leeway with Scizor's health as well. +2 Triple Axel into +2 Ice Shard is not a KO either if rocks aren't on the field, so you might be able to switch directly into it in certain scenarios and with proper prediction.
The presence of Scizor alone is a massive deterrent for Weavile to click SD, which means you'll most likely have many chances to switch into it at +0, which is a death sentence for Weavile, especially if it clicks Knock Off and takes away its ability to deal good damage to Scizor at +2.
For these reasons, I believe this slightly more offensive variation of Scizor is more adept at keeping every variation of SD Weavile under control than the bulky one: I submit Scizor as a CHECK.
Toxapex
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD
Bold Nature
- Knock Off
- Scald
- Haze
- Recover
This is a Counter to . I'm not completely sure if it would have been a counter with an item, and I wanted to submit a counter. It counters it for obvious reasons, triple axle is resisted, knock is 65 bp, and you don't even need max phys def. You can easily afford 108 spdef to have your mu intact, so this can check that thing too. Itemless also helps it counter , which is stronger than Weavile and hence needs a better check.
This can come in on (worse case) weav as it SDs, then it can eat a knock and simply haze, then it can just do pex things. If it comes in on an attack, that's even better lol
+2 252 Atk Weavile Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 148+ Def Toxapex: 115-136 (37.8 - 44.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Incineroar @ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Impish Nature - Flare Blitz - Knock Off
- Parting Shot - Earthquake
Basically, you just send Incineroar into the Weavile and then you: A) Gain momentum with Parting Shot, B) Flare Blitz or C) Knock something. EQ nukes Heatran :]
Calcs ftr:
-1 252 Atk Weavile Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Incineroar: 48-57 (12.1 - 14.4%) -- approx. possible 7HKO
-1 252 Atk Weavile Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Incineroar: 39-46 (9.8 - 11.6%) -- possible 9HKO
+1 252 Atk Weavile Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Incineroar: 108-126 (27.4 - 31.9%) -- approx. 4HKO
+1 252 Atk Weavile Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Incineroar: 87-102 (22 - 25.8%) -- 4.6% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Weavile: 414-488 (147.3 - 173.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Tapu Koko @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- U-turn
- Roost
Check. Koko is faster, survives a +2 Ice Shard, and while unable to OHKO from full, it can easily click U-turn to chip it down into range:
+2 252 Atk Weavile Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 142-168 (50.5 - 59.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0- Atk Tapu Koko U-turn vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Weavile: 146-172 (51.9 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Weavile: 240-284 (85.4 - 101%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
While +2 Ice Shard does 2HKO, I think it is safe enough to be a check given how easy it is for Tapu Koko to find one opportunity to Roost on a teammate it walls or forces out like Corviknight, Tornadus-T, or Tapu Fini. (You also survive +4 Ice Shard if absolutely necessary.)
@ Leftovers
as a check
& 
as a counter
. I'm not completely sure if it would have been a counter with an item, and I wanted to submit a counter. It counters it for obvious reasons, triple axle is resisted, knock is 65 bp, and you don't even need max phys def. You can easily afford 108 spdef to have your 
mu intact, so this can check that thing too. Itemless also helps it counter 
, which is stronger than Weavile and hence needs a better check. 
Get conked
@ Leftovers 
